Minnesotans Deal With Damage Following July 4th Fireworks

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Some Minnesotans have some major damage to deal with Friday after some Fourth of July fun went awry.

Fireworks caused problems around the metro. The state fire marshal says there was more than $500,000 in property damage last year in Minnesota due to fireworks.

It's a boom, a sight that lasts only a moment, but the impacts are less spectacular.

WCCO found Jeff Nelson sweeping up fireworks remnants from his north Minneapolis street.

"They were in my yard, on my roof, in my gutters so I don't think the no aerial fireworks prohibition is working," Nelson said.

Nelson took it upon himself to sweep up the leftovers of a very active evening on his street.

"I can think of better ways to celebrate our independence than trashing America," Nelson said.

Fireworks weren't good to Mike Duncan of north Minneapolis either. Duncan and his family were enjoying some holiday time away. They arrived home to a garage in shambles after being severely burned.

"Fourth of July was good, but now we have the Fourth of July aftermath," Duncan said.

The fire department is still investigating to figure out an exact cause, but Mike found what appears to be fireworks outside his garage.

Investigators are also finalizing the cause of a fire in Newport, where nearby fireworks were popping off. The Newport Fire Department arrived at a garage fire around 1:30 in the morning, another indication that even though the party ends, the consequences can last.

"It's annoying. I had planned to build a garage someday, but not now so it's bad timing," Duncan said.

The State Fire Marshal's Office has two pieces of advice to avoid situations like this: Don't point fireworks at people or children and don't use them near houses or trees.